Stephanie Leigh LaCava (born April 17, 1985) is an American writer based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. LaCava began her career at American ''

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'' and her work has since appeared in ''

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'', ''

The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of i ...

'', ''

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...

'', ''

Texte zur Kunst ''Texte zur Kunst'' is a German contemporary art magazine. History ''Texte zur Kunst'' was founded in 1990 in Cologne by art historian Stefan Germer and art critic Isabelle Graw. It has been published in Berlin since 2000. Since the death of ...

'', and '' The New Inquiry''.

Personal life

LaCava's family lived in

Le Vésinet Le Vésinet () is a suburban commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is a part of the affluent outer suburbs of western Paris, from the centre of Paris. In 2019, it had a population of 15,943. ...

after her family was expatriated from Boston to France in the 1990s through her father’s job. LaCava has said that growing up in Le Vésinet as an American was "very lonely" and that she sought escape in books. She has described herself as having been "a misanthropic little kid" who "would rather read than socialize". Her time in Le Vésinet is recounted in her first book, ''An Extraordinary Theory of Objects''. LaCava studied international relations, international economics, and French.

Work

LaCava's first book, published in 2013, ''An Extraordinary Theory of Objects'', was a memoir hybrid of narrative nonfiction and illustration. Her first novel, ''The Superrationals'', is about female friendship, set at the intersection between counterculture and the multimillion dollar art industry. Released in October 2020 by Semiotext(e), it received reviews in '' Frieze'' and ''

Guernica Guernica (, ), official name (reflecting the Basque language) Gernika (), is a town in the province of Biscay, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, Spain. The town of Guernica is one part (along with neighbouring Lumo) of the mu ...

''. The protagonist of the novel is an auction house employee named Mathilde, who is writing a dissertation on art history. LaCava's second novel, ''I Fear My Pain Interests You'', was published by

Verso Books Verso Books (formerly New Left Books) is a left-wing publishing house based in London and New York City, founded in 1970 by the staff of ''New Left Review''. Renaming, new brand and logo Verso Books was originally known as New Left Books. The ...

in September 2022. Margot, the novel's protagonist, is the daughter of two famous musicians and cannot feel physical pain. The novel follows her as she returns to the Montana town of

Bozeman Bozeman is a city and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. Located in southwest Montana, the 2020 census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it the fourth-largest city in Montana. It is the principal city of th ...

to live in her grandparents' house following the end of an abusive relationship with a man known as "The Director". There she reflects on her upbringing, past relationships, and meets a man named Graves who has a fascination with her inability to feel pain. LaCava's novels have been described as "feel-bad books". In addition to her writing, Stephanie LaCava is the founder of Small Press, an independent publisher of new works in translation and artist-led visual narratives for children and adults. In 2022, LaCava released a five-minute short film titled ''Based On, If Any'', made in collaboration with filmmaker Tess Sahara and producer Isaac Hoff. The ''

Los Angeles Review of Books The ''Los Angeles Review of Books'' (''LARB'' is a literary review magazine covering the national and international book scenes. A preview version launched on Tumblr in April 2011, and the official website followed one year later in April 2012. ...

'' wrote that the film, "like so much of LaCava’s output, is deeply concerned with parents and children". It follows two women, Tess (played by LaCava) and Leigh (after LaCava's middle name, played by Sahara).

Bibliography

Books

* ''An Extraordinary Theory of Objects: A Memoir of an Outsider in Paris'', 2013. Harper Perennial. . * ''The Superrationals'', 2020. Semiotext(e). . * ''I Fear My Pain Interests You'', 2022.

. .

Editor

* ''Francis Picabia: Litterature'', 2018. .

Selected articles

* "Nora Turato," 2022. ''

Artforum International ''Artforum'' is an international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art. The magazine is distinguished from other magazines by its unique 10½ x 10½ inch square format, with each cover often devoted to the work of an artist. Notably, ...

'', Vol. 60, Issue 7.

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:LaCava, Stephanie Vogue (magazine) people Novelists from New York City Living people 1985 births 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American women writers American women non-fiction writers